Shadowy Darkness
by AngstyBob
Summary: What would happen if "Moonlight" met "Dark Shadows"?
1. Chapter 1

**Shadowy Darkness**

**Chapter One**

It had been raining in southern California for pretty much a week straight, and warnings about possible mudslides had been issued. Mick drove his Mercedes along the coastal highway, oblivious to the soft soil shifting beneath the road surface. By the time he noticed that the pavement was caving in it was too late. The highway undulated, dipping and then falling toward the ocean. The Mercedes was pitched over the side with Mick holding on for dear life as the car tumbled and flipped down the embankment.

Mick awoke enveloped in the smell of engine oil and gasoline. He tried to open his eyes, but he found they were glued shut with some kind of sticky substance. He clawed at his eyes, realizing they were full of mud. He finally cleared his eyes enough to take a look around. The color seemed to have been taken out of everything. In the dim light he could tell he was trapped inside his car, which had landed on its roof. The convertible top had been mostly torn away, and he was hanging upside down from his seatbelt. He pressed the button on the belt latch, and he fell to the ground with a painful thud. He blew out through his nose, clearing mud from his nasal passages. A flash of light caught his attention, and when he looked to his right he saw a beam of light bobbing up and down in the distance. It was coming closer. When the light reached the car Mick saw that it came from a flashlight carried by a young boy. The boy fell to his knees beside the upside-down Mercedes.

"Holy cow!" the boy exclaimed, shining the light into the passenger compartment. "Are you all right, mister?"

"I think so," Mick answered groggily. The boy grabbed the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn't open. Mick put his feet against the door and pushed, and the door squealed open. He crawled out, and the boy helped him to his feet. Mick was standing in an open field. He could hear the ocean crashing. He looked around, still marveling at how everything seemed to have a black-and-white quality to it. There was a cliff about a quarter mile to his left, with the ocean beyond it. To his right about the same distance away was a huge mansion. Lights shone in the windows of the massive building, and the front door stood ajar.

"I heard a crash and came out to see what happened." Mick had almost forgotten about the young boy standing next to him. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I think so," Mick answered. "Thanks for your help…"

"My name's David," the boy offered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mick. Mick St. John," Mick said, holding out his hand. The boy took it and shook it. Mick tousled the boy's blonde hair.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. St. John. Why don't you come to the house with me and we'll have Doc Woodard check you out?"

"I really don't think that's necessary," Mick began, but he did feel a little dizzy, and maybe the lack of color in his vision was a symptom of a bigger problem.

"I insist," David said, taking Mick's hand and pulling him toward the mansion. "Plus Vicky will be wondering where I've run off to." Mick stumbled along behind him.

When they reached the open door, Mick had to do a double-take. Standing in the doorway was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was Beth. Or was it? She looked a lot like Beth - maybe a Beth who had been to the 1960's hairdresser from hell. She had an old-fashioned big hairdo, and she was wearing a dress that had to have come off the rack at a retro clothing store.

"David, what have I told you about running away like that?" the woman scolded. She had a sweet, musical voice, but it wasn't Beth's voice.

"Gee, Vicky," David whined, "I just went out to see what caused that big crash, and look who I found!" David gestured toward Mick. "It's Mick St. John. He totaled his brand-new Mercedes in our yard!" Mick frowned. Brand-new Mercedes? That thing was forty years old.

The woman in the doorway stood staring at Mick, unable to speak. Mick held his hand out to her. She stared at it. David grabbed the woman's hand and brought it up to meet Mick's.

"Sorry about the commotion," Mick said. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you. I'm Mick, by the way."

The woman finally breathed. She shook Mick's hand gingerly.

"My name is Victoria Winters," she said. "Welcome to Collinwood."


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadowy Darkness**

**Chapter Two**

Mick took Victoria's hand. He couldn't get over how much she looked like Beth. And her handshake was soft yet firm – just like Beth's.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Victoria," Mick said, "and I apologize for imposing on you and you like this."

"Oh, it's no imposition at all," Victoria said, smiling Mick had to tug on his hand to get it back from her.

Mick looked around the foyer of the huge house. "This is quite a place you've got here," he said. A large painting on one wall caught his eye. It was a painting of a very distinguished-looking man. He appeared to be wearing a fortune's worth of jewels, including a wonderful ring on his right index finger. He was holding a cane topped with what looked like a gold wolf's head. It was hard to tell, given the strange black-and-white look everything seemed to have.

"The man of the house?" Mick asked.

David laughed. "Oh, no sir," the boy said, "that's Barnabas Collins, one of our relatives from England. He's been dead for decades."

"Mind your manners, David," Victory scolded, "and try to be a little more respectful of your ancestors."

"Gee, Vicky, I didn't mean anything by it," David complained.

"Why don't you run along upstairs. Don't you have some homework to do?"

David looked dejected. "Oh, all right," he said, moping his way up the staircase.

As he watched David climb the stairs, Mick saw an elegant older woman pass him on the way down.

"Why didn't anyone tell me we had visitors?" the woman asked, reaching the floor and extending a hand toward Mick.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Victoria said. "This is Mick St. John. He had a car accident, and David brought him to Collinwood."

"And I'm Elizabeth Collins Stoddard," the woman said, smiling. "Welcome to our home." She looked Mick up and down. "I hope you're not injured."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stoddard," Mick said, "and no, I was very fortunate not to have been hurt."

"Please, call me Elizabeth," she said.

"Very well, then. Elizabeth."

"Would you stay with us for supper? We can very easily set another place at the table for you."

"I don't want to intrude, Elizabeth, I just wondered if I could use your phone?"

Elizabeth frowned. "I'm terribly sorry," she said, "but we just had a huge storm, and it knocked out all the phone lines. But you're welcome to stay here until someone can get you into town. Perhaps the phones are working there."

"Oh, yeah!" Mick suddenly remembered the cell phone in his pocket. "I'll just use my cell."

Elizabeth, Victoria and David looked at each other quizzically.

"Your…cell?" Victoria asked. "This house may look like a castle, Mr. St John, but we don't have a dungeon, and certainly no cells."

Mick looked up, dumbfounded.

"Oh, no. I meant that I'll just make a call on my cell phone," he explained, although the explanation didn't seem to ease the confusion.

"What's a cell phone?" David asked.

"I've never heard of such a thing," Elizabeth added.

Mick looked at them in wonder. They must be way off the beaten path here, he thought. He pulled out his phone and held it up.

"This is a cell phone," he said. "You just flip it open, punch in a number, his send and you're all set."

David's eyes were wide in amazement.

"Wow! Can I see it?"

"After I make my call," Mick said. He dialed Josef's number and put the phone to his ear. The recorded message told him that he was out of his service area. He looked at the display. Zero bars.

"Well, I guess that's not gonna work," he said, flipping the phone closed and tossing it to David, who caught it and then stared at it for a long time, as if her were holding some secret treasure. Suddenly there was a firm knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Victoria said. She glided over to the door and opened it. The smell that drifted in with the breeze was immediately recognizable to Mick. And very, very old. Standing in the doorway Mick saw what appeared to be the man from the painting – Barnabas Collins.


	3. Chapter 3

Mick and Barnabas exchanged a knowing look.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. St. John," Barnabas said, shaking Mick's hand.

"Nice to meet you, too" Mick said. And after a pause, "Have we met before?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Barnabas answered, "but I must say you do seem familiar to me".

"I was thinking the same thing," said Mick.

Victoria had been observing the exchange. "I agree – there's something about the two of you. I wonder what it is?" Barnabas grinned. Mick shrugged.

"Why don't we go into the drawing room and make ourselves comfortable?" Elizabeth suggested. "We can talk there until supper. Barnabas, would you like to join us?"

"I'm sorry, but I've got much to do at the old house," Barnabas answered. "Willie is a wonderful assistant, but there are some tasks that are simply beyond his abilities. Thank you so much for the offer, though".

The group made its way into the drawing room, and found their seats. Mick and Barnabas sat at opposite ends of the room. David struggled to decide whether to sit next to Barnabas or their visitor, and eventually chose a seat in the middle. Elizabeth and Victoria sat together on the couch.

"So tell us, Mr. St. John," Elizabeth said, "where are you from originally?"

Mick thought about it for a moment. "Los Angeles, actually," he said.

"Ah, the City of Angels," Elizabeth said.

"And a fair number of monsters," Mick added.

Elizabeth was taken aback. "What on earth do you mean?"

"I'm a private investigator," Mick explained. "I've seen my share of the darker side of humanity".

"A private investigator?" David chirped. "Cool! Can you tell us about the most horrible case you ever had?"

Mick found David's enthusiasm a little unsettling. Fortunately, Victoria interceded.

"Now, David, it's not very nice of you to be so forward with our guest," she said. She turned to Mick. "I'm sorry, Mr. St. John, but David has a fascination with all things morbid."

"Please, call me Mick," Mick said, "and don't worry about David. He's just being a boy, right?"

David nodded enthusiastically.

"Very well, Mick," Victoria said, and then turned to David. "But can't this wait until _after_ supper?"

David looked disappointed. "I guess so," he said, shuffling his shoes on the floor.

Mick was getting anxious. This strangely colorless world was creeping him out. He wanted to go someplace and try his cell phone again. Maybe Josef could come pick him up.

A knock at the drawing room door had everyone turning to see who was there. Mick's first impression was that Josef had materialized simply by his thinking of him. But this wasn't Josef, was it? This man clearly looked older, and Josef would never be caught dead in the clothes this man was wearing. Tweed blazers with leather elbow patches weren't Josef's thing.

"Am I interrupting?" the man said.

"No, Roger, you're not interrupting," Elizabeth said. Still, she seemed very put off. Clearly she didn't like Roger.

"Then I hope you won't mind if I join you," Roger said. His attitude was superior. Certainly he and Josef had that in common. He saw Mick, and walked over to him, extending his hand. "I see we have a guest?"

"Roger," Elizabeth said, "this is Mick St. John. He's a private investigator from Los Angeles."

Roger's eyebrows rose as he shook Mick's hand. "A private investigator, eh? What brings you all the way to Collinsport?"

"Actually I got here by accident," Mick said.

"He crashed his car out in the yard," David said. "Didn't you see it?"

"No," Roger said, "but it's quite dark out. I hope you're not injured?"

Mick was getting tired of telling this story. "No, I'm fine, but I'm pretty sure my car's finished."

"What happened? Roger asked. "How did you come to crash here?"

"I don't remember the crash," Mick said. "I just woke up, and here I was."

"Interesting," Roger said. He turned to Elizabeth. "Have you asked Mr. St. John to stay for supper?"

"I have," Elizabeth answered, "but he indicated he's got to get going before too long."

"In fact," Mick said, getting up, "I should probably be going now."

"Can't we convince you to stay the night, Mick?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, please stay," Victoria said, blushing slightly. "It's very dark, and the roads between here and town aren't very safe. Why not wait until morning?" Mick again marveled at how much Victoria reminded him of Beth.

"Please, Mick?" David pleaded. "You have to tell me about your most horrible case!" Victoria glared at David.

Mick figured it might be better to get some rest and start fresh in the morning, after all. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to spend the night," he said, "as long as I'm not putting you out".

"Oh, not at all," Elizabeth said. "Victoria, why don't you prepare the guest room for Mick?"

"I'd be delighted to," Victoria answered, and practically ran up the stairs.

Barnabas stood up. "I would have offered to have you stay with Willie and me at the old house," he said, "but the house really isn't in any kind of condition for guests. It would've been nice to have some company. It gets a bit lonely with just the two of us."

Mick accepted Barnabas' hand and shook it. "I appreciate the thought," Mick said, "and it was nice meeting you. Maybe we'll have the chance to speak privately sometime?"

Barnabas smirked. "Perhaps." He left the drawing room and let himself out of the house.

A maid announced that supper was ready, and Elizabeth and Roger made their way to the dining room.

"I'll show you where the guest room is," David said, leading Mick up the stairs.


End file.
